mostly retired mandy

Well, if you’ve been keeping track, it’s been 18 months since I posted a blog. Life got a little crazy for a while, so I have some catching up to do.

Flash back to April 2023: We spent another incredible week on Anna Marie Island with our BFFs. That’s us on the beach above. It’s tough to beat spending time with some of our favorite people in one of our favorite places, even when something goes wrong. Midweek, I woke up and my left leg was completely numb. I stretched and stretched, but nothing helped.

Quick synopsis—I spent thousands of dollars on chiropractic care, physical therapy, an MRI and visits to a wonderful physiatrist to find out that I probably injured a nerve and, as he put it, nerves have long memories. Nothing that surgery or injections can cure. With all of that help, it’s down to just part of my left foot that’s numb. But that had me occupied for months. Then we became short-handed at the store, and I started working more. Hence, no time to write.

During all of this, I turned 60. Some people dread these big birthdays. Not me, I celebrated this milestone with gusto and great friends!

Even with all of the craziness, we were able to get away for quite a few weekend trips, including the Sip Into Spring wine fest in Palisade, two trips each to Utah near Goblin Valley and Ouray, Taylor Park and the Pauite Trail in Richfield Utah.

Flash forward to today and I’ve been mostly retired for about two months. (I say mostly retired because I’m still handling public relations for historic Hotel Colorado.) We sold New Castle Liquors at the end of July after nine years! The happy dance is still happening, although I’ve yet to drink the 2012 Dom Perignon I brought home.

One of the main reasons we chose to retire now is to spend more time with family. I hit the ground running and flew to St. Charles, Missouri, to visit my sister and her family less than 48 hours after my last day of work. When I got back, Scott had our groovy RV Vanessa ready to go, and we went camping the next morning.

We spent a week hiding in the mountains, doing a little trail riding and a lot of relaxing. When the black tank got full, we came home. Cousin Eddy said it the best, “Shitter’s full.”

One week later, we drove to Kansas City to see more family and attend an engagement party for our niece. There was a lot of eating, drinking and celebrating. A. Lot. When we returned it was time for Mostly Dry September for Mostly Retired Mandy.

We just got back from Ouray, Colorado, after enjoying the fall colors. We spent time with friends, relaxed, and took a Jeep ride that included a moose. Life is good.

Stay tuned for more Tales From the Empty Nest. Our first long RV roadtrip in years is coming up in a few days!

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